Ben Brust knows how to shoot a basketball while under pressure, a skill the University of Wisconsin guard performs with ease several times every night he steps on the court.

But on Saturday, the Wisconsin senior will hone his perform-under-pressure skills at quite a different sports venue.

Brust might have the most unusual task of any major college men’s basketball player this offseason when he takes on a role Saturday that requires a two-way radio, a headset and binoculars.

The Wisconsin guard and avid NASCAR fan will volunteer as a spotter for Richard Childress Racing driver Brendan Gaughan during the Nationwide Series race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

“The fact that it is a Nationwide Series race and a lot at stake is what makes it fun and interesting and it’s going to bring a challenge,” Brust said. “As an athlete and a competitor, I like the challenge of trying to be part of a team and helping a team be successful.

“I’m excited to do what I can to help. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot. I’ll just go to work when the green flag drops, and that’s very weird to say.”

Gaughan likely will station Brust in what’s known as “Canada Corner,” a fairly hard right-hand turn that comes just before a curve that precedes another right-hand turn to the frontstretch.

Brust’s job will be to inform Gaughan—himself a former Georgetown men’s basketball walk-on in the mid-1990s—of any cars blocking the track or if a car is beside him in the turn trying to make a pass.

He also will be responsible to let the team know if there are any wrecks in that spot—and if there likely will be a caution. That could determine strategy if a driver is deciding whether to pit under green.

“He’s depending on me to make sure I’m making the right calls,” Brust said. “I don’t think he’d let me do it if he doesn’t think I’m up for it. That gives me confidence as it is that he asked me to do it.”

Drivers have one full-time spotter, which is all they need for ovals. But on road courses such as the 4.048-mile Road America circuit, no single person can see the entire track so drivers often station friends or extra crewmen around the track with a two-way radio so they can communicate.

It’s an important job and one that many first-timers struggle with, just to relay only pertinent information—immediately—as far as what they’re seeing on a two-way radio.

“You’re not normally going to just go up and ask some race fan, ‘Hey, you want to come spot?’” Gaughan said. “They’re going to get so excited about being able to spot, that they’re probably not going to be able to do the job.

“Ben, although he is a race fan first, he’s used to certain situations. He’s an athlete.

“Spotting isn’t athletic but you have to use your brain, you have to make decisions on the fly, which he’s used to. I don’t believe he is going to be a spectator when I need him.”

Having listened to scanners while at races, Brust believes he has the lingo down and can do the job. He has followed the sport for three years, as his brother-in-law is also a fan.

“I listen to scanners all the time,” Brust said. “I understand what their job is—they’ve got to make sure that driver is clear, if he’s got someone next to him or if he’s on the quarter panel.

“I’m going to be as focused as I can be and do my best. That’s all I can ask. I can’t wait for Saturday. I’m ready to go.”

Brust went to the race at Road America last year and one of the spotters suggested he should help someone out next year. He was out in Las Vegas for spring break and met with Gaughan, who extended the offer to spot after Brust joked that “if you need a spotter, I’m here.”

“He’ll be just fine,” Gaughan said. “It’s going to be fun having a college basketball player, which is near and dear to my heart—it’s going to be kind of cool having a guy like him there with me.”

For Brust, working as a spotter will provide a great diversion to his summer training. He looks to have a great senior season after leading the Badgers (23-12) in points (11.1 ppg), 3-pointers (79) and minutes (34.3 mpg) as a junior.

His fellow Badger teammates don’t share his enthusiasm for the sport.

“I’ve tried with a couple of teammates,” Brust said about trying to increase the interest in the sport. “But they just laugh at me.

“It makes it fun. They actually will sit down for a couple of laps and watch with me. … They have kind of a knowledge now. At least when it’s on SportsCenter, they don’t automatically turn the channel.”